Here I am to share my projects for my application to be an OnStage 2016 Display Stamper for the OnStage Local event in Kansas City in November! I was beyond excited when I found out OnStage local is coming so close to me! With only 5 US cities chosen, I feel so lucky that it’s only an hour away! After being a display stamper for Convention 2014, I was so bummed to miss out on trying for it in April for OnStage Live, so I’m excited for this opportunity! One exciting thing that’s changed since then is that I’ve become a mama – finally a cutie of my own to feature in my scrapbook pages!!!

*Warning: Picture heavy post ahead! 🙂

Number of Years Card – The first one features a few favorites – Gold Glimmer Paper, Brights Designer Series Paper Stack, Number of Years stamp set and Large Numbers Framelits dies. I can’t get enough of Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight paired together. I love it! The background is stamped with the tiny dots stamp (in Daffodil Delight ink) from the Number of Years stamp set for a tad bit of texture. Tiny strips of Gold Glimmer Paper peek out from the edge of the main panel. This sentiment may be one of my favorites ever!!!

Starry Bright Birthday – This one is a fun one. I love the color combo on this one and did a few fun things. The alphabet stamp was two lines so I masked it off to make it one line, the sentiment is white embossed (heat embossing is one of my favorite ever things to do), and the washi tape was put onto a piece of white paper and punched out to make the small star! Gorgeous Grunge was used for the fun splatters on the main star. Both the main negative image star, as well as the little washi star were popped up for some depth with Stampin’ Dimensionals (I think I need an auto-ship subscription on those with the way I go through them)!

Soft Floral Thank You – When you have beautiful stamps, it’s really easy to make them shine! That’s why I stamped the images, cut them out and layered them over some first and second generation stamped leaves. My favorite detail of this card is that the pieces in the back were temporarily adhered to a separate sheet of paper so I could stamp the background onto all of the pieces at once, yielding a continuous background. I cannot get enough of this kraft paper. It’s really perfection…the perfect neutral to use with ANYTHING! 🙂

Izzy’s Party Hat – Ok, so this one may make you laugh. Remember how I said I’m a mama now? Well my sweetie turned one in January and of course, I had to use awesome Stampin’ Up! products for her party! So the night before we were to go to the photographer for her one year pics, I decided I’d make a party hat. It took me much longer than anticipated so I was up into the wee hours of the night crafting this beauty. As a result, it didn’t get photographed by me until after both the photographer’s pics and her actual party. Both times eating cake…so, you may see bits of frosting here and there. I figured this is an authentic 3D item…one that was used and loved! You’ll see pictures of her wearing it below on the scrapbook page.

The hat is two layers of Designer Series Paper to make it sturdy. I found a pattern on the internet that I traced onto the DSP and cut it out. The pom pom was made out of both the Mint Macaron/Basic Black and Melon Mambo/Basic Black Baker’s Twines. I threaded the string (that I tied around the bundle of twine) into the hole at the top of the hat and taped it inside to secure it. It’s definitely essential to find a way to secure the hat onto the party girl’s head so I poked holes on either side of the hat, threaded Mint Macaron lace trim through the holes, and both tied a knot and taped it to the inside. Hot glue was my best friend, both for gluing the sequin trim onto the edge of the hat and right under the pom pom, as well as to create the rosette. The “1” is my fav Large Number Framelits Dies (I just ordered the BRAND NEW letters yesterday! Yippee!), simply cut out of Gold Glimmer Paper.

In Color Treat Bag – I had a friend convince me to get this die a few years ago. I haven’t regretted it since! So many options for great treats that fit inside. This bag actually has – SURPRISE – no stamping on it! It’s rare that happens to me as I love my stamps and ink, but the star of this bag are the dies included in the set (here the banner, sentiment, and bow). I made this one to show a technique at a local upline meeting where you place the positive image back into the negative image to place the little pieces back in (like the centers of the “o”s). I used circle punches to crop out the negative image and the layer behind it. The silver doily and Silver Glimmer Paper give a touch of shine! The largest banner in the back was punched with that genius Banner Triple Punch. Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush together just make me happy!!!

1st Birthday Scrapbook Page – I bet you can’t tell who inspired this cute little scrapbook page. I once again turned to the same suite of products that I’d used for her party and relied on Stampin’ Up!’s expert coordinating products to make my page extra special. So this features not only the paper, but also the coordinating Baker’s Twine and Enamel Dots. I love the sweet little single balloon from the Balloon Celebration stamp set (and matching punch). The number, banner and word stamps are from the Large Number Framelits Dies and Number of Years stamp set (these and the balloon set/punch may be my favorite things I’ve purchased EVER). The base of the page is that fabulous Kraft cardstock, and the matching solid layers help ground the page, as well as the photos. There’s a lot of dimension here that is impossible to appreciate from pictures on a screen.

I hope you enjoyed the projects I shared with you today!

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This post is probably the most picture-heavy post you’ve ever seen on my blog! 🙂 I’ve gone to Convention for the past six years and admired the display boards stamped by talented stampers from all over North America. This year, I’m throwing my hat in the ring to be a display stamper. We were asked to gather up three cards, two 3D items, and one scrapbook page to show examples of our work. First my cards:

Label Love – I’ve included extra pictures to show some of the details on this card.

The first closeup shows a bit of the ruffled ribbon detail, as well as the dry embossing done with the Big Shot and Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

The second closeup shows the main image embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder onto Bermuda Bay Cardstock, as well as the paper piercing on the circle, done with the Essentials Paper Piercing Pack.

Gently Falling, Sketch & Outline Alphabets – This card uses some of my favorite things! A great two-step stamping set, the Chalk Talk Framelits, paper piercing, and a background stamp! Check out my original post about this card to see the video I filmed on making your own custom die cuts (in this case I wanted to shorten) as well as how to use the Envelope Liner Framelits Dies (how I made the matching envelope liner in the first picture).

The second picture is the decorated inside of the card. I kept the design of the inside super simple since I like to write a lot!

So Very Grateful – I used Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder to make the stamped images really pop! I also used it to turn one of our 1/8″ Silver Mini Brads into gold! The main image is stamped onto watercolor paper and was colored using the Aqua Painter and our Classic Stampin’ Pads.

This picture shows a closeup of the dry embossing, again with the Big Shot, but this time using the Scalloped Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. You can also see the Gold Foil Paper under the sentiment and as the scalloped accent. I love that stuff but boy is it hard to photograph! 🙂 You can also see the silver brad turned gold here too!

Just a closeup of the gold embossed and watercolored image! I love this stamp set!!!

Ok…on to my 3D items!

Candy Dispenser Box – I was able to make this by adapting a basic template I found online (no measurements so it was a tad tricky) to fit this entire box on a sheet of 8-1/2″ x 11″ cardstock! I love this combination of colors, taken from the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack!

The front of the box is decorated with a sentiment from the Chalk Talk stamp set. I also added a Bitty Butterfly punched out of designer series paper I first heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder to give it a great, glittery shine! The butterfly is topped off with a Crumb Cake Candy Dot…LOVE those! Loops of Linen Thread add to the whimsy!

The flower atop the candy dispenser is made with oodles of punches. I punched two from each punch, the bottom layer from cardstock and the top from the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack. The punches I used, from largest to smallest are: Blossom Punch, Pansy Punch, and Boho Blossoms Punch. A Large Rhinestone Jewel added a bit of flair to the center after I crumpled the papers up to give them a bit more life.

Dream Banner – The second of my 3Ds is one of my favorite projects I’ve ever made! It is 10 times more beautiful in real life!!! I used the Pennants Framelits Dies to cut out both the black and vanilla Modern Medley Designer Series Paper (largest pennant die), and the Gold Foil Designer Vellum (2nd largest). The pennant toppers were cut from the largest Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies.

You can get a bit more detail in this picture. The letters are Gold Foil Paper with the So Very Grateful largest floral image (the one I used on the blue/gold card above) heat embossed on it with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. It is so striking in real life! The rosettes were made by scoring every 1/4″ on the Simply Scored Scoring Tool. I strung them together with the Gold Baker’s Twine, used Sticky Strip to attach the Gold Sequin Trim and tied a knot of Victoria Crochet Trim at either end. Voila!

Gorgeous Grunge Scrapbook Page – On to the final entry! The splatters are all from my favorite stamp set of all time, Gorgeous Grunge. The letters are also heat embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder – the large ones again using a stamp from Gorgeous Grunge. The large gray portion in the background is embossed with the Modern Mosaic folder, but it is super hard to tell in my photos!

This picture shows the fun fringe I created with the Fringe Scissors. I thought it was the perfect touch on a page all about my much loved bangs! 🙂

Here’s a closeup of the letters embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my projects! I sure had a great time pulling together some favorites and making some new projects to enter into the selection for Convention 2014 Display Stampers. Thanks for sticking with me through this long post!

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I’m having a customer appreciation event tomorrow night, including Make-and-Takes (the card above is one), a prize drawing for over $100 worth of SU! goodies, handmade items for sale, my Stampin’ Stash Sale, as well as an opportunity to get FREE SHIPPING on the orders placed tomorrow only (read on for more info). It’s the LAST day of Sale-A-Bration tomorrow so it is the FINAL opportunity to get in on the Exclusive, FREE products with every $50 you spend.

The card above uses 4 of our Sale-A-Bration items!!! Can you tell I’m a fan of this year’s offerings? I used the stamp set See Ya Later for the greeting and Banner Blast for the banners. I then punched out the banners with the fabulous, matching Banner Punch. I ran the Whisper White layer through the Big Shot (AFTER stamping) with the 4th SAB item, the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder.

I also wanted to share the Envelope Punch Board with my crafters, so we’re making the 3D Open Box too! This was a fantastic idea from SU! Demo, Sam! LOVE it!

Out of town customer? You can be entered into the drawing for placing an order before the event. If you are placing an order under $150, use the Hostess Code 666UFGFP to qualify for the FREE shipping offer (I will have to PayPal you the money back or send you a check if you live out of town). If you are placing an order over $150, I will still offer the FREE shipping, but do not enter the Hostess Code as you qualify for Hostess Benefits on your order alone.

Anyone in the Saint Joseph, Missouri area is welcome to come to my event tomorrow night! Feel free to send me an email at Sarah@SarahLovesToStamp.com or call/text 816.341.0208 if you’d like directions to my house! You can also call, text or email if you have other questions but my event runs from 6:30-9:30 pm tomorrow night so I will answer everything after that! Orders must be in by 11:30 pm Central Time so I can get everything entered in before Sale-A-Bration ends. I’m sad it’s coming to an end, as it’s my favorite time of year, but glad that there’s one more day! I don’t want you to miss out! 🙂

Here it is! My first new video for the New Year! Better late than never, right? I’m excited about LOTS of new things that will be coming your way! I hope you enjoy this video – it’s a bit different than my normal cardmaking or tool tips. I LOVE Post It Notes and am constantly reaching for them to jot something down so it’s pretty appropriate for me! 🙂 Thanks for your patience as I took time with family over the holidays and went on a much needed vacation with my hubby in early December! My New Year’s Resolution is to post regularly for you all on my blog and YouTube especially, adding in Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest more too!!! I also still need to blog my AWESOME trip to Houston last week for Stampin’ Up!’s Leadership Conference!!!

Hi there! The video is long again – I swear I cannot make a short video to save my life! There are just so many things I want to tell each of you! Check it out! Hope it helps you in your rosette making – I know I struggled to push the center down before the magic secret I show in the vid! 🙂 See you tomorrow – hopefully with a new card!

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*Note: Scroll down to the next post if you didn’t see my video I posted this morning!

Hi there! A video today all about how to make a paper bow. This is so so cute and hot right now! I noticed it is pretty similar (minus a few things) to the paper bow on the front of the Stampin’ Up! 2012-2013 Catalog! The project I show in the video is one of our many Make & Takes from Convention 2012 , so I can’t take credit for the idea. I LOVE how they told us to keep the punched out rubber circles to use as stamps instead of trash. Upcycling and making my stamp set go from 5 stamps to 8 at no extra cost! WOOHOO! I LOVE this stamp set and was thrilled that it was one of the chosen ones for our Make & Takes (meaning we get it at Convention at no extra cost)! It is so incredible when paired with the Floral Frames Framelits dies too!!! AMAZING!!! (Check out page 116 and 190 in the 2012-2013 Catalog for awesome samples with the Daydream Medallions stamp set and Floral Frames Framelits duo!)

I hope you enjoy the idea and that it comes in handy for you for a birthday gift or even a Christmas gift very soon!!!

I hope you enjoy today’s video on how to cut out a stamped image with a Framelits Die and the Big Shot. Many of our Stampin’ Up! stamps are designed to coordinate with Framelits dies and I couldn’t be more thrilled to see a 15% discount on the Bundles that include a stamp set and matching Framelits dies in the Holiday Catalog! I’ll list all the bundles that are discounted below, and highlight the 4 that are stamp sets and matching Framelits. My other favorite bundle: the Ghoulish Googlies bundle! You’ll see that in an upcoming post soon! (You can click on any of the links to see the products in my online store.) Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite bundle is!!! 🙂

Being able to tie the perfect knot is all about practice, practice, practice! In this video, I show you how to tie a knot around a card three different times. Pause the video and practice along. The third time, I even show you what to do if your ribbon is one-sided and you want a certain side only to show. Enjoy!

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Hello again! In an attempt to make up for my absence last week, I’m bringing you a bonus video today! I’m also including a few photos of the project in this post so that you can refer back to it when you are making your own Owl Pillow Box Treat Holders! Hope you enjoy it!

*Note: You can also purchase the 8-1/2″ x 11″ Brights Smooth Card Stock (119706) – which includes 2 sheets of each of the 10 colors in the Brights Collection if you’d rather make the multi-colored owls that I showed in the picture above. You can get 2 pillow box die cuts out of one piece of card stock. If you choose to do that the Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry will be in that pack, so you don’t have to purchase them individually. (Although you do get 24 sheets in the single color packs and 20 in the collection packs for the same price. Up to you…)